Inaugural Canberra

Gifted Awareness Week Symposium

Friday May 30, 2025




The Symposium

 

Gifted education is becoming a high priority for governments and employers as they recognise the enormous value of gifted and talented students for the future of our nation. It will be these students who will lead and drive our nation into the future, but only if we deliver to them appropriate talent development opportunities to meet their needs. 

 

Join us for a day focussed on improving gifted education within schools, led by gifted education experts.

 

Be inspired to create a school where all learners thrive, underachievement is reduced, and behaviour in schools improves.

 

Learn how your school can become a leader in gifted education by improving the outcomes of your most capable students through the implementation of evidence-informed practices.

 

Become a school of choice for gifted learners. 


Who should attend?


  • Principals
  • Executives & school leaders
  • Gifted education coordinators
  • Teachers of specialist gifted classes & programs
  • Teachers with an interest in gifted education
  • Policy makers
  • Education system leaders
  • Parents and carers


What are the benefits of attending?

 

You’ll enjoy thought-provoking discussions, networking and tangible takeaways to improve outcomes for gifted learners including:

 

  • Expanded understanding of how gifted students know and learn in contemporary classrooms
  • Strategies for teachers and schools to best support the talent development of gifted students
  • Best practice for targeting school improvement in gifted education
  • Knowledge of what an exemplary school gifted education program looks like
  • Ways to support gifted students beyond school
  • How to be the gifted education school of choice in your area
  • Strategies to support the unique needs of twice exceptional students. 


Plus:


  • Opportunities for networking
  • Information about professional learning opportunities
  • Connections to specialist services who can assist you in your support of gifted learners, school gifted education program development, and your parenting journey.



Who will you hear from?

 

Keynote speaker - Professor John Munro

Professor of Educational Psychology and Exceptional Learning at Australian Catholic University and Principal Research Fellow (Hon) at the University of Melbourne.




Professor Munro is a pre-eminent expert in the field of gifted education. He has worked in gifted education and talent development for the past four decades. He designed, co-ordinated and taught the Master of Education (Gifted Education) at the University of Melbourne from 1995-2016 and the Graduate Certificate in Gifted Education at the Australian Catholic University in 2024-25. He developed an explicit research agenda to investigate gifted learning in the classroom and twice-exceptional learning and has worked extensively with schools and education authorities both within Australia and internationally to improve provision for gifted and talented students. His most recent book is Leading Improvement for Gifted and Talented Students: High-impact strategies to improve high-level outcomes, published by ACER in 2024.



Plus, invited speakers


  • Sarah Fleming
  • Estee Stephenson
  • Melinda Gindy
  • Helen Baber
  • Lyndal Reid

 

 

Date                     

Friday 30 May 2025

8:30am – 5:00pm


Venue      

Nestled at the heart of teacher learning in Canberra, the Ann Harding Conference Centre at the University of Canberra provides a comfortable, modern conference space, blending seamlessly to beautiful native gardens beyond. A serene location for a day of important learning and networking.


Ticket Prices


  • $200 – full day program, including full catering
  • $50 – part day, 3-5pm parenting-focussed content


Discounts for multiple registrations in the one booking.



Program



Invited Speakers

Sarah J. Fleming

BEd, MEd(Gifted Education) with Excellence, Doctoral Candidate (UNSW)


Sarah J. Fleming is a teacher and gifted education coordinator in an ACT public school. She is completing doctoral research in gifted education at the University of New South Wales. She has broad experience leading gifted and high potential education programs in primary schools and has contributed to the development of gifted and high potential policies at a system level. Sarah has taught in Early Childhood and Primary schools across NSW and the ACT. Sarah’s research interests include gifted education, twice-exceptionality, inclusive education, and social-emotional autonomy support.


Estee Stephenson

B.IS, PGCE (FET), M.Ed. (Special Education), GradCert (Autism), M.Ed. (Gifted Education), Doctoral Candidate (UNSW)


Esteé Stephenson is the Head of Gifted Education (Years 7–12) at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, where she also leads the school’s Visible Literacy and Learning Skills programs. She holds a Master of Education (Special Education) with Excellence from the University of Wollongong. In 2020, she completed a Master of Education (Gifted Education) with Excellence at UNSW and was awarded Dean’s List recognition for Academic Excellence. Esteé is currently a doctoral candidate at UNSW, researching gifted program evaluation. Her interests include 2E learners, equity, data-informed practice, and cognitive science.


Melinda Gindy

BArts(Mus), GradDipEd, GradCertGiftEd, MEd(SpEd), CSML, HFTGN, MACEL, MICDA, MMTA. Educational Leadership Doctoral Candidate (WKU)


Melinda Gindy is a Diverse Learning Coordinator in Sydney. She is the founding National Facilitator of Gifted Awareness Week Australia, the immediate past-president of AAEGT and current Australian Delegate to WCGTC. Melinda has been an invited and sessional presenter at many national and international conferences and is currently in the Educational Leadership Doctoral program at WKU as part of the Leading Diverse Learning Closed Cohort. Melinda was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Teachers’ Guild of NSW and was a finalist in the prestigious PALs Anne Kennedy Award.


Helen Baber

BEd, PGDipEd (G&T), MEd(Gifted Education) with Excellence, MTGN, MACEL


A highly experienced educator, Helen is a passionate and committed advocate for raising outcomes for gifted students and teacher learning in gifted education. She has been a teacher and leader of gifted education in K-12 public and independent schools in Australia and New Zealand for over 20 years, and has experienced the joys and challenges of raising her own gifted children. Helen currently teaches the Mini-Certificate of Gifted Education (Mini-COGE), a 16-hour accredited gifted education course for in-service teachers at GERRIC, UNSW. She also offers gifted education consultancy as Bright and Beyond, supporting the diverse needs of gifted students, their teachers, and families. Recently returning to live in the ACT, she’s excited to develop networks amongst parents and teachers of gifted learners.


Lyndal Reid

DipCounsel


Lyndal has worked with neurodivergent individuals since 1994. Through working with Australian Gifted Support Centre, she has provided events and services to ACT and surrounds, allowing families and individuals to thrive. Lyndal completed a Diploma of Counselling in 2016, and an accreditation in Youth Mental Health First Aid and a Graduate Certificate in Counselling in 2023 to ensure she can provide the best possible care to families. Lyndal has found her passion working with neurodivergent individuals of all ages and seeing the growth as they understand and love who they are.



With gratitude to our sponsors:



Platinum Symposium Partner



Gifted Awareness Week Supporter

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